Abusing Power in the Crucible

Summary: The Crucible describes how many innocent people were accused of sins they did not commit. It is an analogy of the McCarthyism era where society had been subjected to similar occurrences of `witch hunts'.

In the 1950's Arthur Miller wrote `The Crucible', a play that was to become an enormous National Theatre Production. This play, still staged today, is a fictional retelling of events in American History surrounding the Salem witch trials of the seventeenth century. It is a story about pride, conflict of authority, self interest and most importantly abuse of power; because of these corrupt matters nineteen men and women were kill and one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death.

The Crucible describes how many innocent people were accused of sins they did not commit. It is an analogy of the McCarthyism era where society had been subjected to similar occurrences of `witch hunts'. During the 1950's Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many Americans of being communist. A great deal of people believed McCarthy's accusations as they were fearful of communism and he played on their fears. McCarthy, in effect...